JP2889719B2 - Method for manufacturing photovoltaic device - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing a photovoltaic device having flexibility.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as a photovoltaic device having this kind of flexibility, an insulating film, a metal back electrode, a semiconductor layer including a photoactive layer, and a transparent electrode are sequentially formed on a flexible substrate such as a stainless steel plate. Some have formed.

[0003] However, the photovoltaic device having this structure has flexibility, but is not sufficient.

Therefore, a transparent electrode, a thin film semiconductor layer including a photoactive layer, a back electrode, and a second resin layer are sequentially laminated on a flexible and translucent first resin layer on a support substrate. A method for manufacturing a photovoltaic device for peeling the first resin layer from the support substrate has been proposed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 1-105581.

As the above-mentioned first resin layer, a polyimide resin having excellent heat resistance is used, and the film thickness thereof can be made extremely thin, so that a photovoltaic device having very high flexibility is provided. Can be manufactured.

[0006]

However, in the above-described method, in the step of peeling the first resin layer from the supporting substrate, the entire laminated substrate is immersed in water, and the first resin layer is formed by the internal stress of the photovoltaic device. It is necessary to wait for the resin layer to be spontaneously separated from the supporting substrate, and the separation takes a very long time.

When a metal substrate is used as the support substrate,
Since the adhesion to the first resin layer is very strong, the support substrate and the first resin layer can hardly be separated by the above-described method.

In order to facilitate the separation, a method in which a release agent layer is formed on the entire surface between the supporting substrate and the first resin layer is considered. This causes a problem that the first resin layer is separated from the support substrate.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems. During the process of forming a photoelectric conversion element on a support substrate, the support substrate and the first resin layer are securely adhered to each other, and It is an object of the present invention to provide a method for manufacturing a photovoltaic device in which the first resin layer and the supporting substrate can be easily separated when the device is completed, and the two can be separated in a short time.

[0010]

According to the present invention, a release agent layer is formed in a region slightly smaller than a region where a photoelectric conversion element is formed on a support substrate, and the release agent layer including the release agent layer is formed on the support substrate. An insulating and flexible first resin layer, a photoelectric conversion element comprising a laminate of a back electrode, a thin film semiconductor layer and a transparent electrode, and a translucent, insulating and flexible second resin layer. After laminating in this order, the laminate of the first resin layer, the photoelectric conversion element, and the second resin layer is cut into an island shape near or in the region of the release agent layer, and the cut first resin layer is formed. The layer is separated from the support substrate via the release agent layer.

[0011]

According to the above-described manufacturing method, since the support substrate has a portion where the release agent layer does not exist, the support substrate and the first resin layer adhere to each other at the portion, and both are adhered during the photoelectric conversion element laminating step. There is no risk of peeling.

After the photovoltaic device is formed, the photovoltaic device is cut off in the region of the release agent layer, so that the support substrate and the first resin layer are separated from the release agent layer existing between them. Easily peeled off.

[0013]

1 to 3 are sectional views showing the manufacturing method of the present invention for each step, and FIG. 4 is a top view of FIG.

First, as shown in FIG. 1, on one main surface of a support substrate 1 made of glass, ceramics, metal such as stainless steel, etc., a region slightly smaller than a region where a photoelectric conversion element is formed is covered with silicon resin. The release agent layer 2 is formed. When the support substrate 1 is made of a metal, the release agent layer 2 may be a SiO ₂ film. In the present embodiment, a release agent made of a silicone resin is applied by a screen printing method in a thickness of 5 to 20 μm with a margin of 1 to 5 mm around the edge of the stainless steel support substrate 1, and then at 250 ° C. 30
It is formed by baking at a temperature of 0 ° C.

When forming the release agent layer 2, the support substrate 1
The margin around the edge does not need to be opened all around, and may be partial as long as the support substrate 1 and a first resin layer described later are firmly adhered to each other. Further, inside the release agent layer 2,
There may be a portion where the support substrate 1 is slightly exposed.

Next, as shown in FIG. 2, a first resin layer 3 made of an organic polymer having insulation and flexibility is provided on one main surface of the support substrate 1 including the release agent layer 2. Is 5 to 15 μm
It is formed with the thickness of. Specifically, a polyimide varnish is uniformly applied by a spin coater or a roll coater or the like, and heat treatment is performed while the temperature is gradually increased from 100 ° C. to 300 ° C. Here, when the thickness of the first resin layer 3 is 5 μm or less, the mechanical strength when the first resin layer 3 described below is peeled off from the support substrate 1 is insufficient. When the one resin layer 3 is formed, air bubbles are generated inside the resin layer 3, which adversely affects the formation of the later-described photoelectric conversion element.

Thereafter, a single-layer structure of aluminum (Al), titanium (Ti), silver (Ag), titanium-silver alloy (TiAg), or the like, or a metal back surface of a laminated structure of these is formed on the upper surface of the first resin layer 3. The electrode 4 has a film thickness of 2000-1 μm
Formed in the degree.

Subsequently, an amorphous silicon (a-Si) film having a thickness of 3000 to 7000 ° is provided on the upper surface of the back electrode 4 with a semiconductor junction including a semiconductor photoactive layer such as a pin or pn junction parallel to the film surface. An amorphous silicon-based semiconductor film 5 such as amorphous silicon carbide (a-SiC) or amorphous silicon germanium (a-SiGe) is formed by a plasma CVD method or an optical CVD method.

Further, tin oxide (SnO) is formed on the upper surface of the semiconductor 5.
₂ ) A transparent electrode 6 made of indium tin oxide (ITO) or the like is formed with a thickness of 200 to 2000 °. Note that a collector electrode made of a low-resistance material such as a metal may be formed on the transparent electrode 6.

Thereafter, 25 to 1 is applied to the upper surface of the transparent electrode 6.
Polyethylene terephthalate (PE) having a thickness of 00 μm
T), a light-transmissive, insulating and flexible second resin layer 7 made of a thermoplastic resin sheet such as a fluororesin
It is adhered through an adhesive layer having a thickness of 100 μm.

In the next step, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, a flexible photovoltaic device 9 in which a photoelectric conversion element is sandwiched between the first resin layer 3 and the second resin layer 7 is formed. Release agent layer 2
Is cut along the cutting line 8 from the periphery of the support substrate 1 in the vicinity of or within the region. This cutting is performed, for example, by removing the photoelectric conversion element portion by irradiation with a laser beam.

The photovoltaic device 9 cut into an island shape
Since only the release agent layer 2 is interposed between the first resin layer 3 and the support substrate 1, the photovoltaic device 9 can be immersed in water or without immersion in water. 1
Easily peels from

Also, during the step of laminating the photoelectric conversion elements of the photovoltaic device 9 on the support substrate 1, a region where the release agent layer 2 does not exist on the support substrate 1 (ie, the edge of the support substrate 1). Since the (peripheral portion) and the first resin layer 3 are in close contact with each other, they are not separated from each other.

[0024]

According to the method of the present invention, even if a release agent layer is formed between the support substrate and the first resin layer, the release agent layer is present during the formation of the photovoltaic device. The support substrate and the first resin layer are in close contact with each other in the region where the photovoltaic device is not formed, and the first resin layer does not peel off from the support substrate. The photovoltaic device can be easily separated from the supporting substrate, and a flexible photovoltaic device can be manufactured in a short time.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view showing a first step of a manufacturing method of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view showing a second step of the manufacturing method of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view showing a third step of the manufacturing method of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a top view of FIG. 3;

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuing on the front page (72) Inventor Hiroyuki Tanaka 2--18 Keihanhondori, Moriguchi City Sanyo Electric Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Makoto Nakagawa 2-18 Keihanhondori Moriguchi City Sanyo Electric Co., Ltd. ( 56) References JP-A-2-49475 (JP, A) JP-A-63-107073 (JP, A) JP-A-1-105581 (JP, A) (58) Fields investigated (Int. Cl. ⁶ , (DB name) H01L 31/04

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] 1. A release agent layer is formed in a region of a support substrate slightly smaller than a region where a photoelectric conversion element is formed, and an insulating and flexible insulating film is formed on the support substrate including the release agent layer. First
A resin layer, a back electrode, a photoelectric conversion element formed of a laminate of a thin film semiconductor layer and a transparent electrode, and a light-transmitting, insulating and flexible second resin layer are laminated in this order. The laminate of the first resin layer, the photoelectric conversion element, and the second resin layer is cut into an island shape near or in the region of the release agent layer, and the cut first resin layer is interposed through the release agent layer. A method for manufacturing a photovoltaic device, comprising: